It is a very interesting and that seems to want to prove that UAV technology can be used for better causes than what the media seems to be focusing on, invasion of privacy, shooting guns and interfering with wildfires. Highly recommended.

Alsok, a Japanese company, also known as Sohgo Security Services, is developing a service that can detect incoming multirotors in the sky using their sound signature. This comes after a multirotor landed on Japan’s prime minister’s roof in April.

For this service, Alsok will use U.S.-made audio sensors that can capture sounds within a radius of 150 meters. For a building the size of the prime minister’s office, three of the sensors will be able to cover the entire area.

When the audio sensors pick up sounds, the system checks a database of audio fingerprints to determine if a drone has approached and to identify the type of drone. For added precision, image sensors can capture the shape of the drone. A warning is then sent to security personnel.

Their services is set to cost a couple of thousand dollars a month, but that is cheaper than using human eyes and ears to detect incoming “drones”. The question is, once it is detected, how will security handle these “threats”?

Unmanned aerial vehicles have been cast in a bad light recently, which is completely unfounded. Of course, there are incidents that have caused “drones” to be viewed negatively. But with the vast uses for unmanned aerial vehicles, it is baseless. Modified UAVs could revolutionize science, farming, and delivery systems. In the scheme of things, unmanned aerial vehicles are very cheap compared to some of the techniques that are being employed by these systems. More…

Jayson Hanes, a UAV enthusiast, is in the middle of an FAA-induced controversy. He received a letter [pdf link] from the FAA telling him that they received a complaint about his commercial use of UAVs and it appers to be valid because he has monetization on his YouTube channel. He does’t do commercial aerial photography, in other words, he has never been hired nor is he for hire for your next wedding. He simply flies his DJI Phantom Vision around, records the sights and posts the video on YouTube. Ah, he is also enrolled in YouTube’s monetization program, so ads show up either before you watch his videos or a small banner is shown. More…

In Episode 02 of the UAVnotDrone podcast, host Julian Melo summarizes the incident where a drone landed at the White House lawn on January 26 2015 at 3 in the morning and the series of events that happened after.

One of the most talked about events of in the realm of UAVs in the recent months was the “Drone lands on the White House lawn” incident, which occured on Janurary 26, 2015. First, lets describe the events and the way the media reported on it.

In case you were under a rock last week, a DJI Phantom landed on the White House lawn after a drunk government employee decided to fly this roommate’s “drone” and it flew away. Here’s Jon Stewart’s political commentary on the subject. After all, Obama loves drones, why shouldn’t one land on his lawn?